Note: Just another day or so, dear readers, and all shall be revealed about the exciting adventure, engendered partly through this blog, that is leading me to Florida for a few days before I make my way to London. Isn’t the suspense just eating away at you? 😛 And speaking of eating…

In all honesty, I should be researching what/where to do/eat/sleep in Europe right now. Instead, I’m going to talk about a chocolate toffee bar, because, well, my head is going gobbledegook.

(But if anyone wants to alleviate my impending panic and give suggestions about Paris, Florence, Germany, Belgium, and Amsterdam, I shall be utterly grateful. Have at it in the comments, or by email! Seriously. Do.)

Chocolat Moderne Espresso Chocolate and Toffee Bar

My "Look! I have new chocolate!" face.

Chocolat Moderne makes a variety of products using Valrhona as the chocolate base, and while the Bistro Bars sound pretty good, I found myself picking up the Espresso Moderne Bar. Described as “Butter Toffee Infused with Espresso Crumbled into Fine Dark Chocolate”, this chocolate has a respectable 65% cacao content and incorporates sizable chunks of butter toffee.

My "But is it any good?" face. Also known as my "What's the floor plan of this hostel?" face.

The first thing I noticed upon breaking into this bar was its generosity with both the size and dispersal of the espresso toffee chunks. Second was the aroma, which seemed both chocolate-y and coffee-like without being overly strong in either. (Um, I also seem to have “cheddar cheese” written down as an aroma in my tasting notes. I’ll let you all figure that one out.)

Jam-packed with toffee goodness.

I like the toffee in this bar, as it has that perfect texture of simultaneously cleaving, crumpling, and crunching beneath your teeth. The toffee is definitely shot through with coffee flavour but also maintains its own buttery caramel integrity. It’s almost like two kids playing on a see-saw – one minute the coffee is up and waving its arms in the air, the next minute it’s the buttery sweetness yelling for its mother to take a photo as it goes ever up, up, up.

The chocolate hold its own too, with some red berry notes, slight smokiness, and a smooth melt. Of course, Valrhona tends to be a reliable option for such rich sweetness.

More toffee goodness.

Chocolate and toffee lovers as well as dentists could easily be fans of this one. The chocolate, coffee, and toffee flavours blend together as an harmonious whole, while the toffee displays that uncanny ability to stick to one’s teeth. It is worth mentioning that the coffee flavour is pretty mild, so those who are not a fan of coffee’s bitterness would still, I believe, be able to enjoy this. (My notes state “like a mocha with caramel syrup”, though this may be a reflection of my recent Starbucks visits more than anything else.)

Ultimately, though, we should leave the final say to my face. Face, what say you?

My "You taste scrumptious" face. (I make no apologies for acting like a nincompoop. Sometimes, things like this just happen when one travels alone.)

Finally! I post where I really don’t want to eat the chocolate. I really, really, really don’t like coffee. In fact you could probably say that I hate it. Have never drunk even a sip. Can’t stand the smell. And can detect nanogram quantities hidden in otherwise delicious foods. So I have absolutely no interest in Coffee Toffee. I did start following that Askinoise chocolate on facebook and have learnt that they have a store in Singapore (I expect to be there in June), so will have to check that out.

Can’t wait to hear the big Florida news. Will send you some stuff for Paris. Am sadly unable to help with the other destinations.

Louise: I’m like that with citrus peel – can pick out even a trace in any kind of fruitcake-esque so-called “treat” and bleurgh! I guess you haven’t been excited by my growing Starbucks habit, then, either? 😛

Louise: Oh, I must be a very subtle Starbucks fan then 😛 In Australia, I’m a dedicated Long Blacks girl, but for some reason America just makes me want super-syrupy coffees that don’t taste like coffee!

City of Lights = March, most likely. Still a little while away, but I’ve bought my “Western Europe” phrasebook, so I’m set 😀

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.